Scottish Executive

Air Services

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to support the introduction of direct air links to the new EU accession states.

Tavish Scott: The new EU accession states are amongst those with whom the Executive has promoted its Route Development Fund initiative on the development of direct air links.

Civil Servants

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with regard to the relocation of civil service jobs.

Tavish Scott: We have made good progress. Since 1999, we have relocated or announced plans to relocate around 1,300 posts around Scotland. There are around a further 1,800 posts being considered under reviews announced to date.

Climate Change

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities are afforded by climate change.

Ross Finnie: Climate change poses a serious threat to Scotland and the world. However, in responding to the threat, there will be opportunities for Scotland to lead the world in new and exciting sectors and industries and to create a more successful, dynamic and competitive economy while at the same time protecting our environment.

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes are required to the statistical information contained in Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland 2001-02 as a result of the revision in February 2004 of previous estimates for Scottish gross domestic product (GDP) and gross value added (GVA) and, in particular, what changes required to be made to the information contained in tables 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 9.5, 9.7 and 9.8, what the revised figures are for section 4 under "Aggregate Expenditure in Scotland", and what changes require to be made to the information contained in figure 9.2, the Appendix A sections on "non-identifiable expenditure", "central government and public corporation debt interest" and "other items, including nation account adjustments" and Appendix C.

Mr Jim Wallace: The quarterly GDP index that was revised in February 2004 was not used in any of the calculations in Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland (GERS) 2001-02. The estimates of GVA (GDP at basic prices) used in GERS are the annual estimates of the cash value of GVA produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of regional accounts. Therefore no changes are required to GERS in the light of the revised Scottish GDP index.

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now publish a revised version of its estimates of government expenditure and revenues in Scotland for the period covered by its revisions of gross domestic product and gross value added figures.

Mr Jim Wallace: There is no need to consider a revised version of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) because the GDP figures produced by the Scottish Executive are not used to produce the estimates in GERS.

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6394 on 29 April 2004 for more information. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Health

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for consideration of NHS Greater Glasgow’s recommendation to close the Queen Mother’s Hospital in Glasgow.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have just received the report from NHS Greater Glasgow setting out the outcome of public consultation on maternity services and the recommendations agreed by the NHS board at its meeting on 20 April. I intend to give this report careful consideration before coming to a view.

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish the competency of professionals who have gained their medical qualifications and training in the EU accession states and who seek to work in the health services in Scotland.

Mr Tom McCabe: Professionals who have gained their medical qualifications and training in the EU accession states who wish to seek work in the health services have the right to automatic recognition of their qualifications.

  We would expect employers to ensure that their staff are suitable for the work they are employed to do regardless of where they come from.

Health

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote physical activity as a method of preventing heart disease.

Mr Tom McCabe: Physical inactivity is acknowledged as one of the most prevalent risk factors for chronic heart disease (CHD) in Scotland (together with poor diet, smoking and obesity) and inactive people have twice the risk of CHD than active people.

  The Health Improvement Challenge recognises physical inactivity as a major risk factor and is focussing efforts through the implementation of the Physical Activity Strategy to improve access for everyone to all forms of activity that will improve health and reduce the risk of heart disease.

  The National Physical Activity Co-ordinator, based within the Health Department, is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that opportunities for daily physical activity are available to everyone, irrespective of circumstances, age or ability.

Health

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to establish accessible community-based health facilities.

Mr Tom McCabe: Through the Primary and Community Care premises modernisation programme and associated initiatives, over £50 million has been invested over the last five years in new or improved community health facilities. Tailored support is also available to independent contractors such as general medical and dental practitioners, and community pharmacists.

Health

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact would be on health care of the use of a voucher or passport system allowing the purchase of private health care.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Wanless Report, published in April 2002, concluded that private funding mechanisms, such as voucher schemes, tended to be more expensive and less equitable than the current model of financing the NHS. They are also regressive since those with the greatest health needs pay the most.

  Any system seeking to divert funds from the NHS to the private sector could have an impact on the viability of a number of NHS hospitals.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider raising fines against landlords for non-compliance of a multiple occupancy licence as a deterrent to unscrupulous landlords.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: We have no plans at present to increase the maximum fine for operating a house in multiple occupation without a licence. The specific fines imposed in particular cases are, of course, a matter for the courts.

Justice

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Justice 1 Committee's 11th Report 2002, Report on Regulation of the Legal Profession .

Cathy Jamieson: A number of those recommendations have already been implemented, as reported in paper J1/S2/04/8/7 which the present committee discussed at its meeting on 25 February (available at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/justice1/papers/j1p04-08.pdf). In addition, Scottish ministers recently appointed new lay members to the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal and Faculty of Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal following an open selection process involving advertisement of the vacancies in the press.

  Other measures recommended by the committee, for example, strengthening the statutory powers of the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, would require legislation. On 5 March 2004, I wrote to the convenor of the Justice 1 Committee confirming that the Executive would draw on the recommendations of the former Justice 1 Committee in developing an agenda of reform to improve complaints handling by the legal profession in Scotland.

Learning Difficulties

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any recent steps to address concerns of families who have an adult member with learning difficulties living in the family home and what support it intends to give such families.

Mr Tom McCabe: The same as you? is a 10-year programme of change that addresses the needs of all people with learning disabilities, including adults who live with their families. A number of its recommendations, including that for personal life plans, will ensure better support for family carers.

  On 15 March, the Scottish Executive issued guidance on the completion of Partnership in Practice agreements for 2004-07. This advised local authorities and NHS boards to ensure that local strategies for implementing The same as you? address a number of specific issues, including both current provision and development plans for support for carers.

Local Government

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of Aberdeenshire Council and what issues were discussed.

Tavish Scott: I met with Aberdeenshire Council on 8 December 2003 where I was updated on the work of their Joint Public Services Group. The group also raised, amongst others, concerns about the fairness of the distribution of Revenue Support Grant. Officials are in regular contact with the council as well.

Marine Environment

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has in place to reduce the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive does not condone, or permit by licence, the dumping of plastic waste at sea, and supports advertising and educational campaigns against littering. In particular, last year the Executive awarded £50,000 to the Clean Coast Scotland campaign reminding the public to dispose of bathroom waste more carefully in order to prevent such items ending up in the sea or on beaches.

Meat Industry

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to a national envelope for the specialist beef sector within common agricultural policy reform.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive announced its intention to make use of a national envelope for the beef sector in February. We are currently working with stakeholders to design a scheme that addresses both market and environmental issues.

NHS Hospitals

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether there should be no reduction of services at the Belford Hospital, Fort William.

Malcolm Chisholm: Our policy is to provide services as close as possible to people’s homes, consistent with delivering safe and high quality healthcare. What this means at Fort William is a matter for NHS Highland to consider in consultation with local people. Any proposals for major service change have to come to me for approval. If and when I receive proposals from NHS Highland I shall consider them.

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent consideration it has given to the application of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill to land owned by Her Majesty the Queen in her private capacity.

Allan Wilson: I undertook at stage 2 to give this matter careful consideration.

  I have now done so and I am happy to support Dennis Canavan’s stage 3 amendment on the subject.

Parliamentary Questions

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide substantive answers to questions S2W-6394 and S2W-6395 lodged on 24 February 2004 and S2W-6625 lodged on 1 March 2004.

Mr Jim Wallace: I apologise for the delay in answering. These questions were answered today.

Rural Development

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to aid the development of rural Scotland, given the impact of a lack of affordable housing in rural areas.

Ross Finnie: The Executive will invest £65 million in affordable housing in rural areas in 2004-05 to fund 1,408 houses. This is the highest percentage share of the programme ever allocated to rural areas having increased from 20% in 1999-2000 to 26% in 2004-05. The Executive is also conducting a review of affordable housing supply which will identify ways to address imbalances between supply and need where these occur.

Suicide

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3845 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 November 2003, what progress has been made on the co-ordination of available evidence relating to suicide in Scotland and elsewhere.

Malcolm Chisholm: As part of our work on Choose Life, we commissioned work in February to begin establishing the territory for a series of research reviews. The first phase of this is to explore the views of local, national and international researchers in the field of suicide and suicide prevention. This will be completed by June. Following this work, further reviews will be commissioned, where there is reliable evidence to suggest gaps in information.

Suicide

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what new research has been commissioned in the last 12 months regarding suicide.

Malcolm Chisholm: In January 2004, the Mental Health Research Team commissioned a scoping exercise on behalf of Choose Life. The project, which will report to the Executive in June 2004, aims to explore the interests and areas of expertise of centres and individuals focusing on suicide-related research (nationally and internationally) and to invite experts to suggest the territory and focus for a series of reviews to collate and co-ordinate the existing evidence base. The reviews will be commissioned later this year and primary research will be commissioned as soon as gaps in the evidence base have been identified.

  The Effective Interventions Unit has commissioned a National Investigation into Drug Related Deaths in Scotland during 2003, on behalf of the Substance Misuse Division. The investigation will involve the collection of detailed information on the clinical and social circumstances surrounding each drug related death, including suicides.

Tourism

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the use of Green Tourism Business Scheme accredited accommodation.

Mr Frank McAveety: There is a growing market for tourism businesses which can demonstrate their green credentials to visitors. That is why we have asked VisitScotland to work with the Tourism Environment Forum to increase membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme by a third each year over the next three years.

Water Charges

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a scheme similar to the business rate relief scheme could be applied to water charges levied on businesses by Scottish Water and whether the Executive would consider introducing such a scheme as a means of assisting small businesses in meeting water charges.

Ross Finnie: For 2004-05, a low user tariff for those customers who are metered and who have minimal water use is available. This is benefiting many small business.

Young People

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop waste land for the benefit of young people.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Local authorities plan for the development of their land to take account of the needs of local communities, including young people. There are Executive funded programmes related to this such as the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund which has supported teenage recreation and multi-play sports areas in deprived communities and the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund also funds projects including community open spaces.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it was a party to any agreements between Wark Clements and interviewees regarding interviews for the production of the programme "The Gathering Place" for BBC Television.

George Reid: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body was not a party to any tripartite agreement between Wark Clements and interviewees.